Spring is a great time to start your vegetable garden. After a long winter getting your seeds ready for planting is a welcome reminder of the warmer days to come. These twelve plants thrive in the spring months and are perfect for your spring garden. Get started today and you will be eating out of your spring garden before you know it!
1. Peas
Peas are a great early spring crop, you can start them as soon as the snow has melted (depending on your growing region). They enjoy climbing and can add a whimsical design element to your garden. Peas typically mature into a sweet little pod that can be eaten raw or cooked. Peas are relatively simple and low maintence to grow and typically mature within 28 days.
For more info on growing peas:
2. Onions
Onions are great at tolerating colder weather. I recommend starting them indoors in pots and transferring them to your garden when the soil is workable in the early spring. Onions transplant well and it insures that your mature plants will have proper spacing.
3. Kale
Kale is an excellent cold weather crop, perfect in a spring or fall garden. You can drop kale seeds into the soil as soon as the soil is workable and they should germinate naturally as you have warmer days. You can also start kale indoors but I don't find that is necessary in most cases.
Kale actually tastes better to many when grown in colder temps, it can be sweet and tender unlike the bitter chewy varieties you can typically pick up at the grocery store.
4. Carrots
Carrots are a great spring crop to plant in the early spring. I recommend direct seeding carrots right into the soil with pelletized seed.
5. Broccoli
Broccoli is a perfect spring crop because it thrives in the cool weather. I like to grow broccoli in my spring and fall garden. Depending on your climate zone you may be able to grow broccoli for a good portion of your growing season, but I have found that it bolts as soon as hot weather hits.
Much like kale, broccoli also tends to have better flavor when grown in the cooler months.
For more on growing broccoli:
6. Leeks
I plant my leeks in March or early April, but some varieties of leeks can actually winter over much like garlic and are ready to harvest in the early spring. Leeks can be a great addition to many spring meals so starting these indoors and planting them in very early spring can also be a great option!
7. Lettuce
Having fresh lettuce on hand had added a level of convenience to my meal planning routine that I never thought possible. Lettuce much like broccoli, will bolt in the hotter summer months which means that if you want to grow that salad garden you have been dreaming of, spring is the time to do it. lettuce is easy to grow directly from seed and I recommend doing it that way.
8. Beets
Beets are a great addition to any garden, but when grown in the spring beets are sweet and tender! Beets are fairly cold hardy making them perfect for spring. I recommend direct seeding beets and using pelletized seed, or thinking aggressively before the greens mature.
9. Chives
Chive are an excellent perennial and once they have been established they will come back year after year. My chives start re-emerging as soon as the snow has melted. Chives make an excellent garnish for some many spring dishes and they add a great flavor element, I highly recommend adding chives to your garden.
10. Rhubarb
Growing rhubarb in your garden is a must! Rhubarb is also a perennial, and will come back year after year once established. Rhubarb is excellent in pie and it's beautiful foliage is a welcome sign of spring.
11. Radishes
Radishes are easy to grow and they mature quickly. If you plant radishes in early spring or late march you could be eating fresh radishes right out of your garden in a months time!
12. Swiss chard
Swiss chard is one of my favorite things to grow in the spring because it brings so much life and color to the garden. I love a good rainbow variety, but even the traditional green chard varieties are vibrant and typically have white or red stems which make them absolutely exquisite in your spring garden.